I’m sure everyone knows of the plan to increase the size and scope of the humanities department at RPI, creating new and valuable programs where previously there was little to choose from. Many people point to EMPAC as the centerpiece of this revolution, as if the programs that will be housed in the new building will provide the much-needed boost to liberal arts on this campus. I’ve never liked EMPAC; I’ve always thought from everything I’ve read that it was too much money for too little substance. Despite that, I steadfastly believe that RPI needs to invest more money in the humanities programs here.
I’ve been in a lot of arguments with people over the past two and a half years on this topic, and my general argument has always been the same. Science and engineering classes will teach you the hard facts those jobs require, but liberal arts classes teach you the critical thinking skills that everyone will tell you are needed to succeed.
At present, students are required to take six humanities courses during their tenure here, and are required to complete a writing-intensive course. This sounds all well and good until you consider the types of classes available. I hardly think “Web and Database Programming” is a valid liberal arts course, and I’m curious how “Speech Communication” qualifies as writing-intensive. In addition, ask anyone who has taken “Writing to the WWW” and I’m sure they’ll tell you that the class was a joke.
Then, take a look at the offerings in traditional liberal arts areas. The course catalog describes less than ten history classes, and these aren’t even offered every year. One friend of mine who legitimately enjoys studying history was not able to take a history course until his second semester senior year simply because of a lack of offerings. I almost did not even apply to RPI specifically because of this lack of diversity in the programming.
I’ve heard all the counter-arguments to this before. I know that this is a technical school, and it’s always been a technical school. When RPI considered starting to offer B.A.’s in the early ’90s, people threw a hissy-fit because it was considered an affront to the school’s traditions. But at the same time I know that there are a lot of students both already here or who will be applying in the future who have diverse interests and would like a broader education. There are already a handful of philosophy majors on campus; how many more people could be attracted by more programs?
I encourage everyone to take a more open mind on this issue, and I think the school would be well served if the administration dedicated more time to funding a few new classes in existing areas and recruiting professors for these existing classes. Focusing entirely on new programs and ideas is not enough.
